Gunpowder and Lead
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: "You really want to know what little girls are made of, Zane?" He thought a moment. "What are little girls made of, Jojo?" He asked, smiling at her. She watched him for several minutes, before leaning close. "Gunpowder and lead." M for mentions of abuse, mild language and self-defense.


**Gunpowder and Lead**

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Summary: "You really want to know what little girls are made of, Zane?" He thought a moment. "What are little girls made of, Jojo?" He asked, smiling at her. She watched him for several minutes, before leaning close. "Gunpowder and lead." M for mentions of abuse, mild language and self-defense.**

"There has to be a reason why she's so... gun-obessessed."

Carter turned to look behind him. Jo sat alone at a table, cleaning her shotgun. She would glance up every so often as someone passed by; no one bothered her. Were she anyone else, Vincent would have told her to take the gun outside, but because she was Jo... well, she was _Jo_...

So she could get away with bringing the bigger firearms into the cafe; a rule that ticked off Carter to no end. The sheriff was restricted to his handgun, and it had to be in the holster at _all_ times. But Jo... she got to bring the big toys into the cafe, simply because she was Head of GD's Security.

Talk about favoritism.

Carter sighed and set down his maple bar. He glanced at the young psychist sitting beside him, watching the woman cleaning her gun. Carter had seen the woman who had once been his deputy clean her firearms plenty of times, but never had he seen a shotgun among the extensive collection of weapons. In fact, as far as Carter knew, Jo had _never_ owned a shotgun.

"She grew up in a military family. She's been around guns her whole life. They're a part of her." Jack replied, turning back to his maple bar. Zane Donovan frowned. The ubergenius phsycist didn't buy that 'been around guns her whole life' crap. There had to be a deeper reason. And Zane, as the town's resident felon and troublemaker, was determined to uncover what it was.

After all, Josefina Lupo, Head of Global Dynamics Security, and all around badass, was a puzzle.

And Zane was determined to solve her.

He glanced at Carter, who had returned to stuffing his face with maple bar, and after watching the older man for several minutes, he got up, making his way towards Jo's table. She barely glanced up as Zane approached, instead preferring to focus on her gun, with only a crisp, "Zane." as greeting.

He slid into the seat across from her and watched for several moments as his... fling... continued to clean her shotgun. Eventually, he cleared his throat and opened his mouth, but she beat him to it.

"What do you want, Zane?"

He started, surprised. Recovering quickly, he leaned towards her, asking,

"I've never seen you with a shotgun. Didn't know you hunted."

"I don't." She replied, deadpan, glancing up at the man who she'd been sneaking around with for the last three months. His eyebrows rose.

"Really? Because... if I remember correctly, a shotgun is _primarily_ a hunting tool." Her dark eyes slid up towards him, and she waited.

"What do you want, Zane? Is it something important? Because if not, please leave. I'm busy." He chuckled softly and leaned towards her, stealing a quick kiss. She wasn't amused, and quicky put her gun back together, standing and aiming at him. He sat back, holding his hands up.

"Calm down, Jo."

"You do that again, and I'll take your head off with one pull of this trigger." She said, taking aim. He scoffed gently.

"The ease with which you say that is as distrubing as it is hot." He replied. Everyone else in the cafe watched in silence. Vincent had hidden behind the counter, waiting and expecting the threatened gunshot- a gunshot that would put a stop to the never ending Lupo-Donovan war that had been going on since Zane first came to town.

After a moment, Jo looked around. Taking a deep breath, she returned to her seat and returned to cleaning her gun. Once Zane was certain it was safe to get close again, he leaned towards her. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you." She looked up at him. "I just have one question that I need the answer too, Jojo. Why guns? Little girls are supposed to be made of sugar and spice and everything nice. But you don't fit the mold. What are you made of, Jojo?"

She thought a moment, before starting to pack up. "You want to know what I'm made of? And not just me, but all little girls?" He nodded. "You_ really_ want to know what little girls are made of, Zane?" He thought a moment.

"What are little girls made of, Josefina?" He asked, smiling at her. She watched him for several minutes, before leaning close.

"Come on."

And she got up, leaving the cafe, and forcing Zane to rush to catch up. The two slipped into Jo's sporty blue car and drove silently out of town. They drove for miles, eventually coming to a small lookout area overlooking Mount Eureka, the town and surrounding forest.

Without saying a word, she got out of the car and walked to a small collection of giant boulders, taking a seat on one. Zane followed, confused. He sat beside her; she held the shotgun in her lap, staring down at it.

"Something wrong, Jo?" He asked, turning to face her. He reached out and lifted her chin, but she pulled away. "Come on, Jo, you can tell me."

She licked her lips, thinking. Eventually, she turned to him.

"My... my mom died when I was six. She... she had a string of boyfriends after she left my dad... the majority of them abusive. I'd visit her every so often, and usually, their fights would get so bad, I'd hide in the closet, they scared me so much. She was... battered. As much a battered woman as any. I... I remember... one night... I was staying at her house... I was about... six, so a few months before I turned seven." She sniffled, turning her gaze back to the shotgun in her lap.

"Go on." Zane urged gently. She kept her head down, but continued.

"This one afternoon... I came in from playing outside, and... and I saw him- Thomas, I still remember his name after all these years- grab her by the shoulders. He slapped her several times and shook her so hard and so much that... that from where I was hiding, it looked like he was shaking a rag doll, not my mom."

Zane kept quiet, letting her talk.

"I called the cops, I was so scared. They came and took him away... and she had to go make a statement, and so I went with her. She lived in this little town outside Kansas City, Missouri. The nearest police station was two miles away." She reached up, wiping her nose on the back of her hand.

"I_ still_ remember that walk down Country Road 233. After we left the station, we started walking. Thomas was going to make bail, and so we had to be home before he got back. She told me that when he got home, that we were going straight to hell, all three of us." She took a deep breath.

"You don't have to continue if you don't want to, Jojo. It's okay." Zane said, laying a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head.

"Yes I do." She licked her lips, worrying the bottom one before continuing. "When we got home, Mom told me to go to my room. I did, but hours later, I came out into the kitchen. She wasn't there. She was sitting on the porch, with a six pack of beer at her feet and a cigarette in her hand, her shotgun in her lap."

Zane's eyes instantly flicked to the gun in his lover's lap. She nodded.

"It was half past ten by the time Thomas got home. She'd gone through two six packs and four cartons of cigarettes. I watched from the living room window as he pulled into the gravel drive. I rushed out to her and threw my arms around her. She ordered me to go back inside, and I did, but I watched from the sofa as they came into the house. He started yelling at her-_ 'I told you to never- _never_- call the cops!'_"

She closed her eyes momentarily, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart. Zane reached out and took her hand, squeezing in comfort.

"I rushed to him, trying to pull him away from her. Said that she didn't call the cops, I did. And he..."

"Turned on you." Zane whispered softly. Jo nodded.

"Right. Back handed me so hard my head spun, and when I tried to run, he grabbed my ponytail and yanked me off my feet. Shook me so hard, I couldn't see. Then he threw me into the living room. The only thing I remember hitting is the wall, knocking a picture off."

Zane closed his eyes, tears beginning to prick. He squeezed her hand harder, to comfort himself as much as her.

"I must have blacked out because the next thing I remember, is looking up into my mom's eyes. He'd gone somewhere else in the house. She helped me sit up and pulled me into her lap. I just remember wrapping my arms around her and crying. She rubbed my back.

'He can go after me all he wants, but when he goes after you... he wants a fight, does he? Well now he's got one. You don't go after my baby girl and expect me to sit back and take it. Crazy bitch, am I? He ain't see me crazy yet, Josie, I promise you.'" She took another breath, squeezing his hand hard.

"Take your time."

"She said that she was going to take him down. I said she couldn't, he was too big. And she just looked at me. 'His fist may be big, but my gun's bigger. He'll be sorry he messed with me.' We heard him in the hall, and she turned to me. 'You listen to me, Josie. Don't you _ever_ let a man treat you like Thomas has treated me. Never- _never-_ let a man lay his hand on you in any way other than a loving gesture, you understand? And if he starts to throw you around like a rag doll, you have _every_ right to defend yourself. That's not what a real man is. Got it?'

When he came back into the living room, she kissed my forehead and whispered 'show them what little girls are made of, Josie,' before telling me to go to my room. I did, fleeing as fast as I could."

She looked down at their hands. "I hadn't even closed the door before I heard the gunshot. Afterward, I heard her on the phone, and then the police came. After that, everything's a blur. And since then, it's just been easier to hide behind firearms and keep away from people... until you."

He gave her a small smile, leaning over and kissing her head. They sat in silence for several minutes, before she set the gun down and curled into his arms. "What else did your mom whisper to you before she sent you to your room?" He asked softly. She pulled away and looked up at him.

"The answer to your question."

"Question?" She nodded. "What question?"

"The one you asked me earlier, at Cafe Diem." He thought a moment, before saying,

"Wh... what are little girls... That one?" She nodded, watching him for several minutes. "So, what_ are_ little girls made of, Jojo?"

Minutes passed, before she leaned close, whispering,

"Gunpowder and lead."


End file.
